Coated or Uncoated Aluminum Wheels
I just had aluminum wheels put on my Berkshire. The new wheels are Accuride. I know that either Accuride or Alcoa are coated, but I'm not sure which is coated and which is not. The wheels are 22.5"...
Forum Discussion
wnytaxman
Well Sir, trying to polish a coated wheel is no recipe for any disaster. The chemical formula used in coating those wheels is seriously stronger than anyone thinks. You'd have rub in one spot for a half a day to do any damage to it. If it were that weak, you couldn't even do a thorough job of washing them without fear of damage. I've been polishing aluminum for decades, starting with my first motorcycle, a British Norton 750 Commando.
I've polished the wheels on all our fire trucks too for several years. A hand polished wheel, without a doubt, will outshine a coated one by far. But, many guys are not into it and, they like their coated wheels. No biggie, it's their coach. Aluminum is a soft metal, and, it "oxidizes" very quickly. Once the wheel is brought to an ultra sheen, the oxidation process is seriously slowed down. The reason, it's a much finer surface and, the pores are more torn down to similarity of a lake that's glass instead of wind chopped.
There are several types of polish out there. Just what you use is your preference. I myself, don't have any problem taking the time to do a good job on them. It's relaxing and, they look very nice when done. I've used Semi-Chrome, Zephyr 40 (sold by Costco online) Mothers, and a whole host of other aluminum polishes.
It's kind of a "love of labor" sort of thing. Good luck.
Scott
Well Sir, trying to polish a coated wheel is no recipe for any disaster. The chemical formula used in coating those wheels is seriously stronger than anyone thinks. You'd have rub in one spot for a half a day to do any damage to it. If it were that weak, you couldn't even do a thorough job of washing them without fear of damage. I've been polishing aluminum for decades, starting with my first motorcycle, a British Norton 750 Commando.
I've polished the wheels on all our fire trucks too for several years. A hand polished wheel, without a doubt, will outshine a coated one by far. But, many guys are not into it and, they like their coated wheels. No biggie, it's their coach. Aluminum is a soft metal, and, it "oxidizes" very quickly. Once the wheel is brought to an ultra sheen, the oxidation process is seriously slowed down. The reason, it's a much finer surface and, the pores are more torn down to similarity of a lake that's glass instead of wind chopped.
There are several types of polish out there. Just what you use is your preference. I myself, don't have any problem taking the time to do a good job on them. It's relaxing and, they look very nice when done. I've used Semi-Chrome, Zephyr 40 (sold by Costco online) Mothers, and a whole host of other aluminum polishes.
It's kind of a "love of labor" sort of thing. Good luck.
Scott
